HBP The memory in the cave... is Snape's.

[kiricat4001]

No: HPFGUIDX 137974

--- In HPforGrownups at yahoogroups.com, "merpsiren" <merpsiren at y...> 
wrote:
 
> I have been thinking about motives for Snape to defy Voldemort and
> truly join up with Dumbledore and the Order of the Phoenix.  I 
believe
> the key  to this is mentioned on pg 549 of HBP.  
> 
> "You have no idea of the remorse Professor Snape felt when he 
realized
> how Lord Voldemort had interpreted the prophecy, Harry.  I believe 
it
> to be the greatest regret of his life and the reason that he 
returned
> --"
>   
> Now, if you read this quote from Dumbledore with Harry's POV it
> suggests that Snape regrets how the info of the prophecy affected 
the
> Potters. However, I believe that Dumbledore really is speaking the 
> truth of how the intrepretation of the prophecy affected Snape.  We
> know that Snape overheard the prophecy and eventually passed the
> information on to Voldemort.  However, there is a gap in time of 
1.5
> to 2 years between when the prophecy was made, and when the Potters
> were murdered.  Why motive would Snape have to hold back on this
> information?  I believe that Snape defied Voldemort
> and did not immediatly tell him the information he had overheard
> because Snape had a family of his own to protect.  ("Broaden your
> mind...") My grand theory is that Snape was married and also had a 
son
> (or his wife was expecting which coincided with the birth of Harry 
and
> Neville) and that Snape saved the information from the prophecy in 
an
> attempt to protect his own family from death.  Voldemort later 
finds
> this information out from using legilimency against Snape and is
> furious with Snape that he withheld it.  Voldemort then interprets 
the
> prophecy to mean Snape's child will potentially be the one with the
> power to destroy the Dark Lord.  The punishment for this betrayal 
was
> death for Snape's wife and child.
> 
> Now, if you buy into my theory, and then read HBP pg. 571-572.  The
> basin in the cave is filled with the green poison and is described 
as
> looking like a pensieve.  I believe that the liquid that Dumbledore
> drinks is very much like a pensieve memory, it is Snape's worst
> memory.  The agonizing utterances from Dumbledore as he consumes 
this
> horrible poison I believe to be the actual memory of Snape at the 
time
> of his own family's murder. Read the passages with Snape as the
> speaker pleading with Voldemort to spare "them" for a horrible 
mistake
> that he (Snape) has made (not sharing the prophecy with 
Voldemort).  I
> read the beginning (the first things Dumbledore utters after 
drinking
> the poison) as Snape fighting off the legilimency from Voldemort 
as he
> enters Snapes mind and retrieves the info afout the 
prophecy , "don't
> like... want to stop... I don't want to... Let me go... make it 
stop,
> make it stop."   Followed by Snape pleading that his family be 
spared,
> "It's all my fault, all my fault... I know I did wrong, oh please 
make
> it stop and I'll never, never again... Don't hurt them... it's my
> fault, hurt me instead... Make it stop, make it stop, I want to 
die!"
> 
> Snape has lost everything.  I believe this is the reason Dumbledore
> implicitly believes and trusts Snape. Snape wants vengence as much 
as
> Harry does.    


Marianne:

Well, this is a new one! And, as another responder mentioned, it 
could help tie in the as-yet-unseen spousal situation of Hogwarts 
professors.  I have two questions, though. 

If Snape heard the prophecy and realized the danger that it put his 
own family, and he was so concerned about their safety that he held 
this information from Voldemort, then why not bolt to the other side 
at that point?  Why wait an unknown amount of time and then fall 
victim to Vmort's Legilimency? 

The other problem I have is again with DD withholding information.  
If this is indeed the cause of Snape's remorse, why not tell Harry 
that Snape's own family became targets of Voldemort? DD has heard 
Harry express something like pity for young Tom Riddle.  Do you 
think he wouldn't recognize that Harry does indeed have the capacity 
to empathize with others?  I would think that, had Harry been told 
of this, he would get a clearer picture of Snape as someone else who 
was a victim of Voldemort. And he also might be able to put Snape's 
treatment of him into a different perspective - Harry lived, Snape's 
family died.

I suppose one might object that DD can't say anything because it's 
Snape's story.  But, I don't see this as being such a big secret at 
this point in time that Harry, or at least other trusted members of 
the Order, couldn't be told.  No one, other than Dumbledore, knows 
the full story of why Snape was trusted. This reason screams out to 
be shared with Snape's Order allies.

Marianne